At this meeting, attendees like the CEOs of Wal-mart, Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs were asked to focus on profitable ways in which to address critical issues such as climate change, women’s rights and health care.

Stressing this meeting’s theme of innovation, Bill Gross, founder of Idealab, argues that the current economic crisis presents great opportunities, especially with regard to clean tech, since it is an issue of global concern. Many governments, he argues, already support clean tech companies in some way.

You can hear more from Bill Gross’ interview with The Economist, including his views on a carbon tax and electric cars, here.